


Therapy in the Form of Sunlight

by orphan_account



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mindless Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-22
Updated: 2014-03-22
Packaged: 2018-01-16 14:01:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1350007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The idea that two people could exist in the same time and same place, and the random series of coincidences and events that could cause them to meet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Therapy in the Form of Sunlight

**Author's Note:**

> [music to fit the fic](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCgQ3ywwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyWcGtLblBxs%26feature%3Dkp&ei=viItU63_HIP1oATDrIHwAQ&usg=AFQjCNF4nX674_pMdV2K-mVLQEXc--2HLA&bvm=bv.62922401,d.cGU)

Soft, warm light littered gentle rays onto the floor of a second-story apartment through a dusty, cracked window. The room glowed softly, comfortable in the summer morning. It was too early for all the recently-free children to be awake, and too late for much commuting. The complex, and the streets below, were empty and quiet, aside from the occasional car or out-of-place dog bark. The perfect combination of temperature and noise level to doze lazily in, especially if you were an exhausted engineer.

Hal lay on his stomach across the bed, nestled snugly in the peach-colored sheets. The sunlight warmed his back through his **ultra cool** Anohana t-shirt. As much as he was a fan of robot-themed anime, he had to admit he had a soft spot for the sad story. He'd tried to get Snake to watch it, and was met with astounding indifference. _It's like the man had no heart._

Mumbling softly, he shifted slightly to keep the brightness out of his eyes. Hal sighed in the new relief, burrowing his face into his pillow, feeling thick and heavy from sleep.

Otacon suddenly remembered he wasn't supposed to be alone. He slowly propped himself up on his elbows, squinting at the spot where his partner should be. Pushing his hair out of his eyes, the philanthropist reached out and placed a thin hand against the empty spot. It still felt warm, but that was probably from the sun.

Hal sighed again, lowering himself back onto the bed, tucking his arms under his chest for extra, unneeded warmth. He stared blankly at the spot, his lack of sleep dulling any panic he might feel about a missing Snake. _He's probably just in the bathroom_ , he reasoned.

Closing his eyes, Hal briefly thought about going back to sleep for another few hours, wasting just a little bit of the day. He opened his eyes again in time to see their door open slowly, creaking softly in the quiet building. 

Snake stood in the doorway in briefs and.... a coffee cup in his hand. 

Suddenly wide awake, Hal blushed furiously and rolled over, ignoring his feet tangling in the blankets and grabbing for his glasses to preoccupy himself. As he was fumbling to put them on, he felt David climb onto the bed behind him.

The engineer cautiously turned to look at his partner, cheeks still slightly pink. David had propped himself slightly against the bedframe unabashedly, his long legs crossed at the ankles, staring at the smaller man. Unsure of what to do, Hal fidgeted slightly, staring back over his glasses. He jumped when the mercenary lifted an arm, holding it out towards Hal.

A long moment passed before either moved, the new relationship still slightly rough between two men who never properly learned to show affection. But David was trying.

And so was Hal.

He moved forward, and let himself shift down until his head was laying on David's chest, tucked snugly under his arm. Both men let out a silent breath of relief. Hal closed his eyes, once again considering returning to sleep.

David rested his coffee mug against his leg, slowly pressing a soft kiss to the top of his otaku's head. The sun now completely filled the room, the temperature already rising steadily. Soon it would be horribly warm, causing them to retreat to the bathroom, where it stayed the coolest. Hal would sit on the counter, computer on his lap – and David would fill the tub with cool water in which he placed his feet, and read some old novel about coyboys.

Yet both men currently ignored the pending heat, instead bringing themselves closer to the other. David deposited his coffee on the bedside table, wrapping his other arm around Hal.

The smaller man pushed his face against David's neck, one of his hands slipping up to tangle in the absurdly styled hair. David muttered about needing to cut it soon, making Hal smile softly.

Pulled up against the mercenary, Hal thought about the absurd series of coincidences and events that allowed them to meet. The idea of both of them simply existing together in the same space at the same time, Hal had never felt so blatantly _happy_. He felt that way not only for himself, but for Snake. He knew the other man had been through so much. Done so much wrong and hurt so many people, innocent or otherwise. 

Hal had seen the toll that had taken. The late nights, the empty bottles, the angry yelling. The night terrors that left Snake sweaty and panting, heart racing as though he really was still on the battlefield. As though he pulled the trigger for the first time, again, as though it never really got _old_. As though it didn't really get easier. 

The worst was the empty expression on David's face. The uncomfortable silence, and Hal, knowing there was nothing he could do to make it all go away.

But this is what it came to. This is what helped. Being with the other, in any form. 

Cleaning a new apartment, setting up equipment. David watching Hal cook, and talking over dinner about anime and politics. Canvassing an unfamiliar town together, simply walking for the sake of _being together_. Anything that was just them helped keep the demons at bay.

Hal glanced up at David, a slight frown on his face. 

“You know,” he said softly, voice foreign in the silent room. “You could try therapy.”

For all the time they'd spent together, Hal had never said something he so immediately regretted, something so abrupt and rude.

An incredibly tense moment passed, filled with Hal's stupidity, and the engineer was sure he'd angered the soldier. Instead, he simply pulled Hal closer to him, resting his cheek on the smaller man's soft, tangled hair.

He took so long to respond that Hal was sure he had either fallen asleep, or just chosen to ignore him.

“I am.”


End file.
